I have a female chihuahua that is a year old and the vet did blood work on her the other day after getting her spayed. They asked me to bring them a sample of her stool and found tapeworm. The vet has given me a pill for her as a treatment. I did some research online and it says that humans and juvenile animals can get it and be affected by it. Is this true?
What else can I do to prevent other dogs/people in the house from getting it?
Can humans get it or be affected by it?
What type of precautions should I take if I'm pregnate myself?
About two nites ago, my female chihuahua (who has the worms now) spent a couple of hours in the room playing with her 7 week old pups and cleaning them, will this affect them, too?
How long does it take for the tapeworms to clear up?
2006-09-28 14:35:56 · 7 answers · asked by Stephanie T 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
None of the dogs has fleas I just want to be clear on that. The pups of 7weeks just got their shots this passed monday... I will call my vet and ask her if I need to bring them in to get them dewormed as well.
I've washed everything my female chihuahua has laid on and vaccumed her area etc... also cleaned out her feeding bowl every time I feed her...
Any other precautions? If she licks our hands/face will we get tapeworms from that?
2006-09-28 14:51:54 · update #1
Not to worry....neither you nor your other pets can catch tapeworms from your dog, like can happen with some of the other types of worms.
Tapeworms have an indirect life cycle....and they have to go through a flea (or, depending on the species, a rodent or rabbit) before they can infect another animal.
Not to be gross, but even if you ate your dog's poop, you could not possibly get tapeworms that way. The only way you could is if you ate a flea (or a rodent) infected with the intermediate stage of the life cycle.
So...relax. :-) (The medication from your veterinarian works very quickly, btw.)
EDIT (to answer asker's edit): The fact that she has tapeworms now does not necessarily mean she also has fleas NOW. It means that she had and ate a flea around 3-4 weeks ago. Oftentimes, they'll pick up just ONE flea when they go potty....but you never see it, because they lick and swallow it before you can. It only takes one. Trust me....unless she has been eating mice or rabbits (which carry a different species of tapworm than what we usually see in our pets), she HAD a flea at one time. That's the ONLY way she could have gotten tapeworms. Again...licking your face is of no concern, other than just basic sanitation. You could even eat one of the tapeworm segments yourself, BUT YOU WILL NOT GET TAPEWORMS FROM DOING THAT. (I don't recommend you try it out, however....LOL) Call your DVM in the morning, and they'll confirm what I'm telliing you. They'll even have a little life cycle drawing they can give you for illustration.
2006-09-28 14:50:45 · answer #1 · answered by A Veterinarian 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Tapeworms in your dog are already dead..Your Vet treated her with a drug called Drontal Plus It takes care of them right away...Dogs get tapeworms from fleas..Humans Can get Tapeworms but generly not the kind dogs get.If that were true we would all be walking around with a belly full..Dont worry all is safe.She cant transfer them to her pups though her pups should be wormed by now with Panacur..You can usualy see tapeworms in the dogs poop..but if you are unsure and if your Pups have had fleas bring a fresh stool sample in for the Vet to check.Tapeworms are the least harmful IMO....Goodluck
2006-09-28 14:50:46 · answer #2 · answered by roxie_29812 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
dont worry all you need to do is get a dewormer from your vet for all the dogs in your house and worm them all at the same time. make sure you deworm every 6months. its only a problem if you ignore it and dont treat the worms but if you do as ive said your problem will be solved xx
2006-09-28 14:42:49 · answer #3 · answered by petulabadula 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tapeworms only take a few days to cure if you have medication, I wouldn't say go to the doctor just yet but if you feel hungry often i would suggest going. (tapeworms eat the food in your stomach)
2006-09-28 14:38:39 · answer #4 · answered by dontrainwrek3 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On meds they will be gone in few days. If it is a bad case you will see the worms in the dogs poop. Don't let anyone near that poop. And don't let it poop in the house.
2006-09-28 14:55:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
These are questions you should be asking your veterinarian.
2006-09-28 15:59:51 · answer #6 · answered by gbob1976 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.petcaretips.net/tapeworms_in_dogs.html
2006-09-28 14:45:53 · answer #7 · answered by trusport 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋